Pilot for fuel burners



Oct. 21, 1941. F, T COPE PILOT FOR FUEL BURNERS Filed June 9, 1938 Patented Oct. 21, 1941' UNITED STATES-f PATENT oFFICE PILOTl FOR FUEL BURNERS Frank T. Cope, Salem,.0hio, assignor to The Electric FurnaceComlmlly,` Salem, Ohlofa corporation oi" Ohio Application June 9, 1938,'- Serlal No. 212,765

3 Claims. The invention relates generally to furnaces, and

more specifically to special or controlled atmos-y phere furnaces which are oil orgasflred. More particularly, the invention relates to a pilot construction for the oil or gas burnersofsuch furnaces.

Heretofore, furnace burners have been contructed either by rigidly connecting andsealing a pilot for the burner in thek furnace wall or shell, or by locating the pilot in a position spaced from and firing into an opening inthe furnace- Wall or shell; but serious difficulties arise in conwith the spaced pilot construction; but the spaced arrangement causes other difficulties in connection with use of the same on a special vorv controlled atmosphere furnace. Thus, the space between the pilotl and opening in the furnace wall orshell allows some of the special atmosphere from the furnace to leak or escape from the furnace when the pilot is not-burning; andallows the pilot to inspirate, inject or suck air into the furnace when burning, thus disturbing. the l special or controlled atmosphere in the furnace.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to avoid the difficulties and disadvantages experienced in prior oil or gas burner pilot constructions for furnaces.

It is a further object of the present invention .to provide a pilot construction for afurnace fuel burner, which is readily accessible for lighting and inspection.

Moreover, it is an object of the present rinf vention to provide a pilot construction. for a furnace fuel burner which is so constructed and arranged as to prevent gas from escaping from the furnace or air entering the furnace through a pilot mounting. l

Likewise, it is an object of the present inven- 'ilyaccessiblefor lighting, cleaning, inspection -and repairs. l Andnnally, it is an object to generally yixnprove and simplify the-construction and operation of vpilots for the burners of fuel medi-furnaces. f

These and other objects y,may be obtainedvby the elements,y parts, combinations` and.` constructions constituting` the vpresent invention; `e. `preferred embodiment of which is shown inthe accompanying drawing and ishereinafter described in detail and claimed', which` may be--statedfln general terms asy including `in combination, a-v

burner block and a pilot therefor, thev burner block including a main .burner tipand a main burner tunnel communicating therewith, aconcaved preferably tapered opening and a passage n communicating betweenvsaid opening` and the main burner tunnel; and said pilot including a pilot tip, a convex orv rounded preferably spherical.noseforthe'pilottip adapted to be, fitted ,inI said tapered opening, a.l conduitf'leadingfrom.said4 pilot tip toa source of' fuel including a flexible member, andl yielding mounting means for the ing;

tion to provide a pilot construction for an oil or gas burner for a special or controlled atmosphere furnace which prevents loss or contami- `nation of the special atmosphere and yet is readpilot including cooperating 1members removably seatingvv the-pilot vnoser in-.said tapered` opening-in substantially gas-tight relation; and 'preferably a clip mounted on said burner block for suspending the -pilot tip for inspecting, lighting,

: cleaning and repairing the same.l

In the drawing; Figure 1 is afragmentary sectional view taken Aas on the line I-|, Fig. 2,illustrating theirnproved pilot construction for abur'ner ofaspe- 35 cial atmosphere furnace; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of certain of the parts shown in fFlg. 1 with'the'pilot removed for light- Fig.. 3 is an enlargedefragmentary sectional -view of the pilot tip.l pilot nose and burner blockv seat therefor; f c

Fig. 4is a section -taken on theline 4 4, Fig.3;

Fig. 5 is'afragmentary'view similar to Fig. 1;

but showing the parts in. the/position shown in Fig. 2;,and-

Fig. 6 isl afragmentarywiew looking in the directionofthe arrows-B, Fignl.

Similar numerals. refer to' similar. parta; u

throughout thel variousngures ofthe drawing.

The vrimprovedfconstruction s' shown generally in Fig.v 1 wherein atwallzpreferably .a vertical wallof a specialk ortcontrolied atmosphere furnace is illustrat" block housing il yis m u 9." The burner also includesL a burner tunnel-` f ,f I

1, in ,which af burner y. ted, preferablyr by bolts mounted in the furnace wall 1 and yvided on the pilot nozzle tip I9.

` unit.

housing 8V and a burnernozzle or tip II mounted in the tunnel block 9and housing 8, connected with any suitable source of vfuel by means of pipe I2. l

The main burner passage I3 is formed inthe tunnel block I communicating withl the burner nozzle Il, and the tunnel block I 0 also has a pilot passageh I@ formed therein communicating with an openingfl5 formedin the crosswall I6 of housingi spaced from the main opening I1 in block B'through which the main nozzle IIr exe tends.`

Referring more particularly to Fig; 3, the open` ing I5 has a concave shape in cross sectionpref- V-erably tapered as shown, for receiving lthe convex preferably spherically'rounded nose I8 pro- The pilot nozzle tip. I9 is preferably threaded into an endof a conduit which mayhave an L 2| connected at the other end ."thereof to which yL 2l ajexible conduit 22,'v is connected.

The other end of the flexible conduit-,2210m- Vmunicates at .23 with a suitable source of fuel Ain main24.. v

Spring` means, preferably` a wireA spring vhas one end mounted at 25 on burner housing 8 and .the other hooked lend.21 engages under a lug A A28j formed onconlduit20 for mounting the'pilot assembly in assembledf. relation with the burner A s best y I5. when.v the pilot is off, and so that air is not ...sucked intothe furnace when the pilot is burnandl assembled Although aparticulartype of mainlburner II used with any type'of main burner construction. The particular main burner ltip and the particular arrangement of ,passage ,I 4 shown but not claimed herein, 'is claimed in fmy copending `application I med of evenuate herewith, serial No. 212,764.4.

An L-shapedclip v32 having an upper leg forked at A3.3`1`nay' be mounted on burner housing 8 at one side thereof, as best shown in Figs. l, 2 and 5, for suspending the. improved 'pilot when removed fromconnection with opening` I5 and passage I4 -for inspecting, lighting, cleaning and repairing the-same., When the pilotis soremoved, spring '25 "springs to theposition-.shown in Fig. 5.

In..oper'ation,.the .pilot may be lighted, in-

aligned, or in other words, they properly seat and seal even though misaligned.

The-spring means 25 maintains this arrange ment of parts and the spring means 25 and ilexible conduit 22 permit instant removal of the pilot in case the pilot goes out and requires lighting, inspection or cleaning.

Moreover, the improved construction permits the pilot'to be, assembled vas a component part of thel main burner, whichlisparticularly advantageous in connection with the use of a subi stantially horizontally discharging burner. In a f burner firing through the roof of a furnace, a pilot may be led in froman angle through the side wall and yet have the pilot as close as possible to the burner tip. f

However, it is impossible to mount a pilot in another furnace wall discharging at an angle toward a burner unit in connection with a hori zontally discharging burner. In prior pilot constructions for horizontallydischarging burners,

' the pilot either due to its sealed construction or spacedl construction, is `located at dsome distance from the main burner, 'which is not a desirable shown in Fig. l, spring 25-yieldingly mounts the .pilot assembly and urges the nose I8A thereof into 4a substantially gas-tight'sealed .relation within opening I5 in burner housing 8 ,f,softhatfthelispectial atmosphere in the furnace fcfannfot',leak'out through tunnel I4 and opening arrangement. l

Accordingly, the improved constructionV provides a pilot which overcomes the diiilculties and disadvantages experienced in the prior art, pro-f vides'a `'pilot which is readily -accessible for lighting and inspection and yet prevents gas from escaping "or entering the furnace through they pilot mounting, provides a 'pilot which maybe used with a special or controlled atmosphere `furnace without disturbing the atmosphere main- -tainedthereim provides a pilot having special ado vantages when used in combination with a sub- 1 stantially horizontally vfiring burner, and provides a pilot and burnerarrangement which is simplied" in construction and operation;

Having now described the features of the invention, the construction, operation and use of a preferred embodiment thereof, and the advantages and resultsobtained by the improved construction; the new land useful parts, elements.

combinations, constructions and devices, and

4reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth .inthe appended claims.

5()` lis shown', the improved pilot construction -m'ay vbe lclaim: y j 1. lPilot construction for a furnace fuel burner having a pilot opening, including a pilot conduit having a gas-tight flexible Yportion and a nose,

spected or cleaned when in the position shown4 inFigs. 2 and 5 and after lighting maybe guided, located and clamped withthe sphericalfnose I8' f seated in sealed relationin opening I5 by. Spring 25. The nature of the construction and arrangementof these parts issuchv that no particular exact'alignmentneed vbe maintained in placing the pilot in operative position as .the nose I8 and seat l5 thereformay be, termed as being, selfsaid pilot nose and opening having complementary universal seat surfaces, spring means mounting said pilot conduit. with said nose removably seated 'in said pilot opening, and means for supporting the pilot conduit in removed position.

tapered piloty opening, including a pilot conduit having a gas-tight exible portion and a rounded tip` nose, and means removably mounting said,

pilot v,conduit von said .fuel burner and yieldably urgingthe tip nose into engagement withv the tapered opening. v

'3. Pilot construction for a furnace fuel burner havingfa tapered pilot opening, including a pilot conduit `,with a gas-tight flexible portionand a nose, saidnose having aspherical surface adapted toseat in said tapered opening, and spring mounting means for the pilot removably and yeldably urging said nose intoseating relation in said opening; v FRANK T. COPE;

2. Pilot construction for a fuel burner having a 

